Thoughts on selling cars privately

azapa

azapa

Member
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1,300
At the end of the day selling anything privately is an ar5e, but I prefer to do it that way, still ends up better than the paultry amount many dealers will offer. Your experience sounds quite typical. Wait him out, if he's keen (sounds like a nice car) he'll up the offer. The secret of a good deal is that boh parties should feel they got a fair exchange, not just one side.
 
O

ofenomeno99

Member
Messages
354
Cheers all!

Got quite a few messages about the price- it’s unfortunately not up for sale in the UK as some of you may know I currently live and work in Kuwait. Prices for used German cars are pretty much on par with UK prices and I’m selling the car for approx. £7,000 which I think is a steal for what you’re getting in return.

Re the radiator leak- The car has never needed a coolant top up in 10 years so I’m assuming it’s a very slow leak- one of the mechanics said that some hoses needed replacement. Can’t be too sure with them- I sometimes feel random observations are thrown into reports just to show clients that they’re getting their money’s worth (audit anyone? )

He ended up calling again asking for a reduction and just used one of the above suggestions and asked if he was serious or not as another buyer is keen and waiting on an answer- this seems to have shut him up and he’s supposedly going to pay for it tomorrow.

I just really can’t stand these silly childish mind games. I’m only 30 but I really do feel that I’m too old for this.
 
Silvercat

Silvercat

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Messages
1,166
ofenomeno99 said:
Just wanted to have your thoughts on an incident I experienced today.

I am in the process of selling my mum's 2007 SLK 55 AMG that she owned for the past 10 years. The car has been meticulously maintained at the main dealer and cosmetically/ mechanically is in excellent condition. The car is a 13 year old car with just under 60 K miles.

Someone came to have a look at the car, took it for a test drive and arranged to have it inspected the following day. Before leaving, he asked me about the price. I told him that it was as advertised but he gave me a background story on how he only has X amount and it is the most he can pay. I tell him that there is no point in talking about price pre inspection just in case something serious shows up and only then would I consider possibly reducing the price. He insists and I agree, saying that I won't go any lower ( at this point we've taken approx. 1,000 pounds).

Come inspection day, car is inspected and the following shows up on the report:

  • Slow coolant leak from radiator/ possibly replace radiator
  • Replace 2 rubber bushings on rear suspension
  • Replace 2 airbag sensors
  • Check engine/ gearbox mounts
Man says that he really wants the car but is worried about having to spend money on replacement parts and asks to reduce the price by another 1,000 pounds to cover the above (car was already priced very low to sell).

My POV is that this is a 13 year old car and the observations noted in the report are all consumables with no effect on the integrity of the car and that this is not something that I should be reducing from the price. He then tells me to either pay the 200 pounds for the inspection or for me to accept the 1000 pound reduction in the already reduced price.

This really got me pi$$ed and I told him to not F around and waste my time.

My questions:

Shouldn't the customer be covering the inspection fees as his/ her own protection? With the only exception being if the seller mislead the customer about something that the seller had already known/ the seller pulled out of the sale/ the seller did not honour the selling price?

Did the observations above warrant the need to take more money off the car? I know that this is under the sellers discretion but as someone that has bought a lot of used cars, these observations would have been the rule and not the exception.

Cheers
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I would have told him to 'foxtrot oscar' too . Complete time waster. TBH as soon as he was asking for a price reduction before any inspection I would have told him politely to sod off. I would also have been clear that any inspection would be entirely at his own risk and cost.
 
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Silvercat

Silvercat

Member
Messages
1,166
schell70 said:
I always used to sell my cars privately but in the past few years I just haven't bothered. The days of excited people with cash in pocket have gone, now replaced by chancers and attitude. Honestly, most seem to think they are buying a new car and expect a full service offering rather than a fair transaction.

Also, there have been lots of cases where some hoods just turn up and request the keys with menaces. I really don't think it's worth the time, danger or hassle anymore.

I have a local trader who will always beat WBAC and generally gives a fair 'trade' price, or do a decent negotiation on a part ex. its so much easier.
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I completely agree. I tried to sell my stunning 2009 QP for 6 months with just 50k miles on the clock and with full service history, but all I got were 'chancers' making frankly rediculous offers. So in the end I decided to part ex it for a 9 month old Merc from a main Merc dealer. On balance I got a great price for the QP with non of the hassle and a fantastic Merc. Result!
 
O

ofenomeno99

Member
Messages
354
So I got taken for another ride today by the same man and it has just completely put me off trying to sell the car.

I think the best course of action would be to ship it over to my mum so If anyone has any experience with shipping cars to the UK from the Middle East region would be very grateful if you can PM me.

Cheers!
 
O

ofenomeno99

Member
Messages
354
Silvercat said:
I completely agree. I tried to sell my stunning 2009 QP for 6 months with just 50k miles on the clock and with full service history, but all I got were 'chancers' making frankly rediculous offers. So in the end I decided to part ex it for a 9 month old Merc from a main Merc dealer. On balance I got a great price for the QP with non of the hassle and a fantastic Merc. Result!
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100% agree this is mostly the best path to take because like you said, most people seem to be chancers/ traders in disguise/ time wasters and it really is not worth the hassle
 
M

Manc5

Member
Messages
395
I always wanted to be a car salesman.. alas i never actually tried to be one.. have sold a few privately, mainly to people I know.. a couple to joe public.. too many chancers and the show ups armed with "WBAC says it is worth X.... "
 
M

Manc5

Member
Messages
395
Wanderer said:
Selling a car is like making love to a beautiful woman......
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Haha... How did you know i have grey hair and wear silver shiny suits..... off topic etc.. but c'mon we are talking THE car salesman Swiss Tony.. his words of wisdom ring true...

MAKING COFFEE
Making a cup of coffee is like making love to a beautiful woman. It's got to be hot. You've got to take your time. You've got to stir... gently and firmly. You've got to grind your beans until they squeak. And then you put in the milk.

LAYING A CARPET
Laying a carpet is... very much like making love to a beautiful woman. You check the dimensions, lay her out on the floor, pin her down, walk all over her. If you're adventurous - like me - you might like to try an underlay.

HANGING WALLPAPER
Well, hanging wallpaper is also very much like making love to a beautiful woman. Clean all the relevant surfaces, spread her out on the table, cover her with paste, and stick her up. Then you clean your brush, light your pipe, stand back and admire your handiwork.

PUTTING UP A TENT
Putting up a tent, is... very much like making love to a beautiful woman. You rent her, unzip the door, put up your pole an'... slip in to the old bag.

WASHING A CAR
Washing a car, is very much like making love to a beautiful woman. You've got to caress the bodywork. Breathe softly and gently. And give every inch of it your loving attention. And make sure you've got a nice wet sponge.

ANSWERING THE PHONE
Answering the phone, is... a little like making love to a beautiful woman. In that you've gotta... lift the receiver, put it to your ear, speak ...loudly and clearly ... oh, yes - and don't forget to state your name.

BEING IN THERAPY
And yet, having therapy is very much like making love to a beautiful woman. You ... get on the couch, string 'em along with some half-lies and evasions, probe some deep dark holes, and then hand over all your money.

Any my favourite..... BEING IN A CRASH
Going to the brink of death and back, in a nine car pile-up on a dual carriage-way, is ... very much like making love to a beautiful woman. First of all, brace yourself, hold on tight - particularly if it's a rear-ender. And pray you make contact with her twin airbags as soon as possible.
GOING FISHING
Of course, As you know, I'm a very keen fisherman myself. You know, I've often thought that going fishing was very much like making love to a beautiful woman. First of all, clean and inspect your tackle, carefully pull back your rod over, and remove any dirt or gunge that may have built up whilst not in use. Then, extend your rod to its full length, and check that there are no kinks or any wear. Particularly at the base, where the grip is usually applied. Make sure you've got a decent float, the appropriate bait, and that there's plenty of shot in your bag.
 
M

Manc5

Member
Messages
395
ofenomeno99 said:
Cheers all!

Got quite a few messages about the price- it’s unfortunately not up for sale in the UK as some of you may know I currently live and work in Kuwait. Prices for used German cars are pretty much on par with UK prices and I’m selling the car for approx. £7,000 which I think is a steal for what you’re getting in return.

Re the radiator leak- The car has never needed a coolant top up in 10 years so I’m assuming it’s a very slow leak- one of the mechanics said that some hoses needed replacement. Can’t be too sure with them- I sometimes feel random observations are thrown into reports just to show clients that they’re getting their money’s worth (audit anyone? )

He ended up calling again asking for a reduction and just used one of the above suggestions and asked if he was serious or not as another buyer is keen and waiting on an answer- this seems to have shut him up and he’s supposedly going to pay for it tomorrow.

I just really can’t stand these silly childish mind games. I’m only 30 but I really do feel that I’m too old for this.
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Did he come through ? Hope you have moved it one as planned.
 
Gazcw

Gazcw

Member
Messages
7,787
Selling a car privately is like making love to a beautiful woman..
You advertise your pride and joy to anyone who will look.
You make small talk to get them all excited.
You service and polish for that first meeting impression.
You allow a test drive at your own cost.
And when you are just on the brink she wants that extra 2" you just don't have!
 
O

ofenomeno99

Member
Messages
354
Manc5 said:
Did he come through ? Hope you have moved it one as planned.
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He sent me a good morning text and asked to meet at the DVLA to make the exchange within half an hour. As I’m leaving he calls and asks if I could help drop the car off at a garage to win some time...

At this point I ask him what it is exactly that he wants to do at the garage because I haven’t got time to wait around if he wants to have it further inspected and I also will not be leaving the car for anyone to touch until the car belongs to him and I straight up ask him whether he’s really buying the car or messing around- he reassures me that it’s just for logistics and that he wants the car and understands that no one will be working on it.

I stupidly agree and get to the garage as planned- 10 minutes go by and he hasn’t shown up. Call. No pick up. Another 10 minutes. Call twice and still not pick up. I text him telling him that I’m giving him 5 more minutes and if he doesn’t show up I’m not selling the car to him. He calls me back straight away and apologised for missing my calls and says he’s stuck in traffic and only 5 minutes away.

Another 20 minutes go by and still no show. I start the car to leave but then he miraculously appears. I park the car and tell him to hurry up because I’ve got meetings scheduled for the day and need to be back home. He says no we still need another hour because he wants to have the car inspected.

Told him that this wasn’t what we agreed on and that he was not serious about buying the car. He begs to just let the mechanic have a look at the report and give him an estimate on parts. Mechanic says that he hasn’t got a radiator and that he needs to order it. Man turns to me and says sorry don’t want the car anymore because I might have issues with sourcing spare parts if anything goes wrong.

I felt like a complete numpty at this point and called him a liar and a child and told him to F off.
 
Wanderer

Wanderer

Member
Messages
5,791
Reminds me of my time on a nuclear power station in UK, we used to give away the older PC's when replaced to locals who perhaps couldn't afford one, spend ages wiping the hard drive to MOD standards, reinstalled Windows For Workgroups, Office 4.3 all licences given away, even took it down the the persons address in the site van.

Anyway this one time I took it down to this guy's house, DEC 486DX25 15" monitor, still pretty decent for the time and the guy looks at it and says 'Does it not come with a printer?'

I was livid, cheeky fecker!
 
M

Manc5

Member
Messages
395
ofenomeno99 said:
He sent me a good morning text and asked to meet at the DVLA to make the exchange within half an hour. As I’m leaving he calls and asks if I could help drop the car off at a garage to win some time...

At this point I ask him what it is exactly that he wants to do at the garage because I haven’t got time to wait around if he wants to have it further inspected and I also will not be leaving the car for anyone to touch until the car belongs to him and I straight up ask him whether he’s really buying the car or messing around- he reassures me that it’s just for logistics and that he wants the car and understands that no one will be working on it.

I stupidly agree and get to the garage as planned- 10 minutes go by and he hasn’t shown up. Call. No pick up. Another 10 minutes. Call twice and still not pick up. I text him telling him that I’m giving him 5 more minutes and if he doesn’t show up I’m not selling the car to him. He calls me back straight away and apologised for missing my calls and says he’s stuck in traffic and only 5 minutes away.

Another 20 minutes go by and still no show. I start the car to leave but then he miraculously appears. I park the car and tell him to hurry up because I’ve got meetings scheduled for the day and need to be back home. He says no we still need another hour because he wants to have the car inspected.

Told him that this wasn’t what we agreed on and that he was not serious about buying the car. He begs to just let the mechanic have a look at the report and give him an estimate on parts. Mechanic says that he hasn’t got a radiator and that he needs to order it. Man turns to me and says sorry don’t want the car anymore because I might have issues with sourcing spare parts if anything goes wrong.

I felt like a complete numpty at this point and called him a liar and a child and told him to F off.
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What a t055er... good you kept your cool.. must have been close to kidney punch...
 
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